In the thirty years after the Civil War, the United States blew by Great Britain to become the greatest economic power in world history. That is a well-known period in history, when titans like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan walked the earth.But as Charles R. Morris shows us, the platform for that spectacular growth spurt was built in the first half of the century. By the 1820s, America was already the world's most productive manufacturer and the most intensely commercialized society in history. The War of 1812 jump-started the great New England cotton mills, the iron centers in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and the forges around the Great Lakes. In the decade after the War, the Midwest was opened by entrepreneurs. In this book, Morris paints a vivid panorama of a new nation buzzing with the work of creation. He also points out the parallels and differences in the nineteenth century American/British standoff and that between China and America today. Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

The author is at his best when he focuses on the people behind the technology. . . . Morris' research is thorough. . . . Ambitious.Kirkus

“An illuminating narrative that shows, among much else, what happened when Yankee ingenuity met the Industrial Revolution…Post–Civil War industrialization had an important and largely overlooked predecessor in the first decades of the nineteenth century. It is a story well worth telling, and Mr. Morris tells it well.”

Wall Street Journal

“To the often-told story of America’s initial industrial development, Morris adds fresh data and insightful revisions. He begins The Dawn of Innovation with a fascinating account of how the rivalry of the early United States and Britain to dominate the Great Lakes produced a ‘shipbuilders’ war’ that helped trigger industrial development here…[Morris] is persuasive in arguing that America grew so rich so rapidly in part because it was largely born free.”

New York Times Book Review

“Morris’ analysis shines brightest in the final chapter as he compares the United States’ past economic growth with the current hyper-expansion of China. Only then, by examining the hurdles China faces in its ascendance to economic superpower, does Morris show how truly innovative the transformation of America was and why it will be impossible to repeat in the future.”

Publishers Weekly

“The author is at his best when he focuses on the people behind the technology…Morris’ research is thorough… Ambitious.”

Kirkus Reviews

Listener Opinions

Michael | 9/12/2013

" more about the era prior to the industrial revolution very little on 1880 -1910. Well written by an experienced writer. "

About the Author

Charles R. Morris has written a dozen books, including The Coming Global Boom, a New York Times Notable Book of 1990; The Tycoons, a Barron’s Best Book of 2005; and The Trillion Dollar Meltdown, a New York Times bestseller. He is a lawyer and former investment banker, and his articles and reviews have appeared in many publications, including the Atlantic, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal.

About the Narrator

David Colacci is an actor and director who has directed and performed in prominent theaters nationwide. His credits include roles from Shakespeare to Albee, as well as extensive work on new plays. As a narrator, he has recorded more than one hundred audiobooks, earned eight AudioFile Earphones Awards, and been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. His narration of The Suspect was named one of AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2007.

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